Campbell: “… a part of me feels bad and a little bit guilty”

I’ve been trying to reach just about everyone involved in the Campbell negotiations, with no luck so far.

But for those who missed it, here’s what he had to say to TSN during the Canadian sports network’s “Free Agent Frenzy” special:

“Obviously San Jose is first class and they have really good people that work for that organization so a part of me feels bad and a little guilty.

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“I consider myself a pretty honest person and to leave people like that is very tough, though I was only there for a short time. It’s unfortunate that it didn’t work out there, but I don’t think I would have considered them if I hadn’t gone there.

“I’m happy I did go there, but, yeah, today’s a huge celebration for me and for everybody involved with me.”

On a TSN web site, Campbell also noted that “it is a lot of money, so there is a lot of pressure that comes with it.”

********And, yes, Patrick Rissmiller is now a New York Ranger. Earlier this week, the Sharks advised Rissmiller — who became an unrestricted free agent today — that they would not be offering him a new contract, according to a team source.

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.

Its called being a fan, and trying to believe. Its also called trying to make management more honest with everyone. I have no problems at all if the Sharks do nothing in FA, and draft poorly thats fine but dont keep giving me this crap

When you’re committed to winning, you have to be aggressive,” the G.M. said.

When you know its not true. Aggressive, explain to me how our team was aggressive in the last 8 days. See my problem it not with the players or coaches themselves, you know the ones I actually root for. My problem is with the management who lies to season ticket holders just to get more money out of them.

Why should I not be able to root for the players and the team I love, but why should I not have the right to voice my dissent about managements failure to keep there promises to there own fans. Do honestly feel its okay for them to say things like we are being aggressive and that the are increasing the budget and then not do it? THats okay with you? Can sharks management do any wrong in your mind?

BTW Detroit just signed Hossa as a FREE AGENT, I guess they can no longer be termed a team that builds from within and makes trades right.

And didn’t DW say we are following the mold of Detroit, so if we are I guess that means were are next to make a big FA signing, I am waiting.

BC

Ever hear of the first amendment and free of speech.

Doesn’t apply here, dumbass. The First Amendment protects you from censorship by the government. It doesn’t entitle you to crap up a personal or corporate blog.

Stevo

Eric,

I think VAN has a you-know-what for Mats.

Ivano

Wow – Detroit just signed Hossa, 7.5 for 1 year. Maybe it’ll wake Dougie up since that’s his favorite club.

Nah – DW – keep enjoying golf.

Ivano

The only question in my head – why Detroit even needs Hossa?

E

#199 yep SteveO i have heard of manners and I have tried to plead my case via private email to DP and the MN, and tried to make it nice but apparently that didn’t work, so I am trying a different method.

Look this blog is at 199 posts which is awesome, I just want the Sharks in the news. The Warriors, Giants, Raiders, 49ers, and A’s and even the earthquakes are in the news everyday, heck even the sjgiants get more media coverage from the mercy news then do the Sharks. I think DP does a great job with the blog. I just think that sometimes he goes with the flow and goes easy on the Sharks. I understand he’s a beat reporter and lots of beat reporters do that, but there is no reason for the Mercury news to just act like everything is hunkydorry in Sharks land when its not. A lot of fans on this blog are not happy, yet the mercury news (not necessarly DP) just act like everything is all well and good. I sent 3 letters to the editor critical of the Sharks over the last 3 months none of which have be published even after DP told me he reccommend 2 of them.

Eric

And Stevo-that is a problem for us-DAL and ANA were pretty well set roster wise-several western teams have or are (if VAN wins the sweeps) taken big steps talent wise-we have at least one huge (imo 1 huge and 1 medium hole) at d and the silence right now is deafening.

E

@206 its not why,

It s because everyone else is getting better and thats how you get better. You get better players and you become a better team. You keep the same players you get the same results. Look at teams like Chicago, Edmonton, and heck even Phoenix have improved a lot this off season. When you can get a player that will improve your team even if your good you go for it.

Eric

Re 206-Ivano-maybe we need a team talent cap coupled with the salary cap eh??

Spiritpark

So now the Wings sign Hossa……..what’s up Sharkies?

Tano

Ivano,
it’s obvious that Hossa is after the ring first and money second. What’s the difference between 7, 8, 9 million a year when you can wear a nice fat ring to show your friends and relatives.

Detroit had trouble in the first round of this year’s post season, against Nashville I guess…so with Hossa it will make it a lot easier to win the cup in 16 straight.

Stevo

Eric,

Yeah, we needed a guy like Soupy. That I agree. I’ve always said we could use 2 of them. Doubt you’ll disagree.

Yet, as I mentioned the other day, we will likely be better offensively with the roster we have just because of the addition of Mick (Lellan). And that alone will make our D somewhat more effective.

When we have an offence that is more potent, the other team has to respect and adjust to it. You, as a coach know this.

“A good defense is a good offense”

Dallas did that last year. Our D were chasing them all over the ice in the playoffs. It neutralized our D. Took them out of their game, it seemed.

DET does the same thing. Opposing D is paralyzed with fear it seems.

So, I feel we really need a replacement for Soupy and then we should be good to go back to the playoffs.

Unless Mick isn’t as good a coach as RW

Eric

Stars sign Avery

Eric

new thread-moving now

E

Billiant now the Stars Sign Avery brilliant non- move by the Sharks. DW and GJ are just plain sleeping on the job. I doubt they could sign any impact player even if that player wanted to come here. Unbelievable.

Andrew

Chicago, Edmonton and Phoenix had to get better because they have sucked for a couple of years now.

E – you sound like a small child “management said this and management said that” or “Doug Wilson said he is going to be aggressive and he wasn’t so he’s lying to us”….what a bunch of whining garbage. All you haters, really, if you’re so bothered by wasting your time with a group of cheap lying underachievers, why do you even waste your time? What happened, lost your plastic nipple to suck on? Go take up gardening, visit a massage parlor and get the happy ending, or just do a crossword puzzle. Whatever it is please stay away from commenting on these blogs. The crybaby stuff is old!

Stevo

Avery to the Stars……….THAT is bad news for us.

Don’t bag on GJ for is “inaccuracies”….. Did anyone read or hear that the Stars were in on the Avery chase?

So much for TSN et. al.

goaliepuke

hmmmn the Hossa signing…the cap went by nearly that amount, The Wings filled it in. They will still be quite a bit under the cap again this upcoming season.

E, I agree with you on half a point, It takes money to win the cup. But, it doesn’t take ALL your money.

Last season the Wings quite but under the cap, Pres cup, Stanley Cup. Sharks, well documented, PDC, 2nd in NHL.

Rangers, One of the loudest splashes last season with Drury and Gomez. The Rangers struggled. The Ducks, spent the most, struggled quite a bit for the players on that team.

As far how much you say you like or think or appreciate of DP, why don’t you go back reread some of the things you’ve said. But take a trip to Costco first, they sell TP in bulk.

You don’t have to agree or like anyone including DP for that matter, but respect, is a minimum.

This is a hockey blog, not a chat room.

BooneDog

E & Steve O, Yes it is my money. I have been a season ticket holder since day 1 and have seen ticket prices go up and up with nothing to show. I don’t want to see money wasted on players who are not worth that price and do not want to be here. Obviously you did not read Campbells comments that he only gave SJ a shot because he was traded here and it was a courtesy anyway. Sharks would have had to offer way more than Chicago or Atlanta to get him to stay. And even then you’re assuming he wanted to come back at all. Quit fooling yourselves, he was as good as gone when the season ended and no one wants to admit it.

snowangel

Avery to Dal makes sense- doesn’t he have a Brett Hull connection from a year or two back?

Ott AND Avery now? Yeah. That just got really ugly.

Ian

E: “Do honestly feel its okay for them to say things like we are being aggressive and that the are increasing the budget and then not do it? THats okay with you? Can sharks management do any wrong in your mind?”

1) Doug Wilson said he expects the team’s spending to increase, not that he would resign Campbell no matter the asking price or terms, nor did he guarantee that he would spend to the limit. He declared his intent (“we’re being aggresive”).

2) The free-agent period is not over. It just started, in fact.

3) Given Doug’s previous statements, I expect the Sharks to pursue a trade to fill Campbell’s role.

4) Look up the definition of “straw man argument” for your last point.

All of the above, however, had nothing to do with my point, which was that you claimed that you had had enough, and were going to demand a refund, because the Sharks management were liars and were taking advantage of you. If you honestly feel that way, why be a fan? And why keep posting the gloom-and-doom stuff about how the Sharks are deceitful?

I’m not happy about losing Campbell, but we’re better off long-term not having a solid B/B+ defenseman at A+ numbers for 8 years. The team’s budget is going up, right now due to the Shelley and JR signings, Marleau’s extension, and the RFAs that have yet to sign. If training camp begins and the roster is still where it’s at right now, you have permission to whine all you want.

ST

I feel a Hedican coming on. The lack of activity on the Sharks’ front worries me. I have a feeling they’re thinking trade more than signing a UFA.

Campbellfour doesn’t surprise me. He was a no show in the postseason.

Dean

I am beginning to beleive that BC is looking for an Oscar award. They way he sobbed when leaving the Sabres was an Academy award performance, then he gave the best acceptance speach of the year when he gave his first press conference as a Shark stating that all he wanted to do was play hockey, enough with all the press, the speculations as to what was going to happen, when and with whom, then when decided upon the Sharks and how glad it was all over with and now he could concentrate on the game he loved so much. Now, how it was a very difficult decision once again to leave San Jose and had he not came to San Jose in the first place it would not have even had been a passing thought to even considering coming here let alone leaving since he had become so close with the players, the fans and the experience of being part of such a great and professionally run organization.

Personally, I think Brian is full of you know what. He makes every decision and every experience he makes such a dramatic and sensative issue. One would think that he is getting paid to speak not play hockey. He played a reasonable game during the regular season while he was a Shark however one must also remember that the Sharks where on a record breaking winning streak during that time as well which the credit for that cannot be given to Brian alone. He just happened to step into a team that would have continued with that streak had he been a Shark or not. Then when it really counted and what he was brought to the organization for, the playoffs, he disappeared. Not only did he disappear but one could argue that his play making abilities actually dropped off and in some cases cost the Sharks as he made some very unusual mistakes that costs the Sharks in either power play killss and very untimely mistakes resulting in odd man rushes with opportunities to score or worse, goals scored against the Sharks. Summarized very simply, his play was not worth the loss of Bernier and now that he is gone, his role of a rental player was a very costly error. Even without knowing what Mr. Wilson knows now, I venture to say if he had the same opportunity presented to him again, I would be highly suspect of him making the same decison again. Brian Campbell was a costly flop, one that will be remebered as that cost him the loss of a very promising first round draft pick.

BHazard

Everybody seems to be either overreacting or underreacting to this situation. We acquired Brian Campbell to help our team get that extra offensive boost needed from the defense and use him as a quarterback on the powerplay. Well now, let’s look how that panned out?…Not so well come playoff time. Sharks had one of the worst power plays in the playoffs and were a hit or miss on the powerplay even during the regular season. Obviously Doug Wilson isn’t going to overpay ANYBODY let alone a D-man who can barely play D. Campbell was probably more consistent of losing his man or just “forgetting” which led to numerous goals for opposing teams in the playoffs. I’m in strong belief he is the best offensive talented defensiveman with poor defensive skills. So, why on earth would you shell out even close to $56.8 million over 8 years to a defenseman who isn’t going to even help the defense of the Sharks. Sorry folks, but no kind feelings for an overrated player. Granted, he has tremendous offensive talent, but where is the D? Where is the in your face go all out all the time player for the Sharks? The answer this year will be EVERY SINGLE PLAYER. When you bring in a guy like McLellan with as much experience as he’s had, things are going to start progressing. McLellan is going to implement the system that makes players skate their asses off carrying over the Detroit style shut down others in the neutral zone and break out through the middle to generate quality shots unlike Ron Wilson’s shaky system which seems to almost isolate the defense and offense from each other. This team is going to be scary as the Sharks have so much young talent in the process of blossoming and this will give them all a swift kick i the ass and improve their skill as individuals and make them want to work harder every day as a team. Look out people because this whole coaching change has flown way under the radar of any sportswriter or NHL spokesman and I’m in strong belief we all will notice how good this team is next year when players start playing to their full ability every game.

BHazard

Hey Dean, I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but Steve Bernier will never amount to anything. He was pointless to have to the Sharks and is way to inconsistent and arrogant.

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